Graced by a Di Angelo
by Wildfire63010
Summary: When Nico starts leaving Camp Half-Blood, then returning hours late, acting like nothing happened, Annabeth took charge in the situation and confronted Nico. What she almost uncovered would have shocked her forever.
1. Chapter 1: Nico Escapes the Wise Girl

**Wildfrie63010 here! This is my first story, so I'm new to writing, especially writing fanfictions. Anyway, this is a fanfiction based off of the Percy Jackson and The Olympions series and the Heroes of Olympus Series, so I guess I have to say...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own either the Percy Jackson and the Olympions series or the Heroes of Olympus Series. They both are owned by Rick Riordan.**

**Anyway...I will be using the characters from both series, so if you haven't read the books before, you probably won't know what is going on. Now...ON WITH THE STORY! **

**Graced by a Di Angelo**

**Chapter 1: A Hunter**

**Nico's POV (Point of View):**

I was walking back and forth in the Hades cabin, trying to figure out what to do. By the way, Hades is my father, so I stayed in his cabin. The other half-bloods (Half greek god, and half mortal) stayed in the cabin that represented their parent. My friend Percy, for example, stayed in the Poseidon cabin.

"This is not working out the way I planned it..." I accidentally said aloud.

"What isn't?" replied Annabeth as she took off her magic Yankees hat (It was a gift from her mother, Athena. It turns whoever wears it invisible).

"Uh..." I was at a loss for words. Annabeth didn't know what had been going on for the past 2 weeks, why I've been constantly leaving Camp Half-Blood, and then returning later. To her it must seem suspicious enough to spy on me.

"Nico, what is going on? You keep leaving camp, then coming back and acting as if nothing happened!" Annabeth pressed me for an answer. I knew I wasn't getting off easily. Not this time.

"I...I have just been visiting my friend that I met at Camp Jupiter," I replied innocently.

"Nico. You're lying. Tell me the truth!" Annabeth yelled, barely containing her anger.

"What are you now, my mom?" I asked sarcastically, "You have no right to be poking your nose in my business!"

"Nico...tell. Me. Now," Annabeth replied, seething with anger.

"No," I smirked defiantly, knowing I had crossed the line. Annabeth lunged, and I darted into the darkest corner of the cabin and shadow traveled away.

"I'm glad that's over with," I muttered to myself as I ran full speed through the dark landscape. I chuckled, knowing I had escaped, Annabeth. "If only she knew...". I started laughing uncontrollably, but then froze as I found the exit I was looking for.

**Annabeth's POV:**

"That little liar! He still refuses to tell me what the heck is going on!" I ranted.

"Annabeth, give it up! Nico has more a right to keep secrets than anyone else in camp!" Percy yelled back. Nico had been a sore subject between us for 2 weeks, as I kept trying to figure out what was going on, and Percy tried to stop me from "invoking the wrath of Nico upon myself".

"What about Hazel? She's a child of Hades too!" I said, looking for loopholes in Percy's logic.

"Pluto. She's a child of Pluto. Big difference. Anyway, Hazel controls gems and precious metal, not the dead." Percy retorted. Although he was right, I couldn't control my anger.

"So? That doesn't...Percy, now you made us go off subject!" I yelled, now mad at the Seaweed Brain for messing with my train of thought.

"I seem to be quite good at that." He said with a rebellious grin. I realized he had done it on purpose to try to stop us from arguing.

"Percy! We need to talk about this! This is serious, I-" I was cut off as Percy leaned over and kissed me, effectively shutting me up. I broke away, now calm. Percy knew that always calms me down.

"I...I...I uh..." I stammered, trying to stop myself from cracking under the influence of Percy's kiss.

Percy laughed. "It's okay, Wise Girl, we can talk later. Right now we need to get to the dining pavilion. It's dinner time!"

"Percy! Don't call me that!" I yelled, infuriated at his use of his unofficial nickname for me, "But you are right. Everyone will be waiting on us. Let's go." Percy smiled and kissed me again, a quick peck on the lips that sent me into what I called the Percy Syndrome. I felt like my brain was turning to mush and I smiled stupidly, trying to remember what my name was.

Percy took my hand and jolted me back to reality, "Stop goofing around, lets go eat!". I smiled and ran after him as he sprinted toward the open air pavilion that was the mess hall at Camp Half-Blood.

**Nico's POV:**

I exited "Shadow-Travel-World" as I liked to call it (for lack of a better word), in a snowy forest. I looked around and saw the rocky mountains to my west. Pikes peak glittered a purple color from a mile away and I knew instantly that I was in Colorado.

I looked around, trying to find what had brought me here. Then I saw it. A Silvery expanse on tents sparkled in the fading sunlight about 100 feet to my right. I ran toward it, scaring off a few deer that saw me. I cursed and veiled myself in shadows, as I remembered that I wasn't invisible anymore.

I entered the camp and fount the tent I was looking for.

Empty.

I looked around and saw who I was looking for. I followed her into a tent that said "Artemis" on the flaps. I ducked inside behind her and listened to Artemis talk to the girl I had been spying on for 2 weeks now, Thalia Grace.

**So, any thoughts? Good? Bad? Absolutely Horrible? Review and tell me what you think. Next time I update, I'll try to make a longer chapter, and a little bit of explanation. See you guys then!**

**-Wildfire63010**


	2. Chapter 2: A Quest for Artemis

** Hey! I'm back! I got nothing but good reviews yesterday, so I'll assume you guys like this story! Just so you guys know, I'm going to try to update this once a day. Anyway, sorry about leaving you guys like that yesterday (I know, I'm evil :D). Most of my endings will be cliffhangers!**

_**Laughs Maniacally**_

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON. RICK RIORDAN DOES. **

**Graced by a Di Angelo**

**Chapter 2: A Quest for Artemis **

**Thalia's POV:**

"Thalia, I know the reason must be very important for you coming to my tent," Artemis said, confused that I had visited her. Artemis wore a simple silver gown with a parka. She looked beautiful. I have always been jealous of Artemis's beauty, but then again, she was a goddess, she _had_ to be beautiful.

"Not...not as important as you would think. We aren't under any kind of attack, or anything of the sort," I replied.

"Then what brings you here?" came the reply.

"About that girl in Minnesota, I was wondering if there was a way to leave the hunters without being turned into a rabbit?" I asked, nervous at what the answer might be.

"Wha-" Artemis started to say before I cut in, "Not that I...uh...not that I want to leave the hunters...I was just wondering."

"Well, you would have to complete a quest for me, with a boy as a partner. Then, if I see fit, I would give you my blessing as release you from your vows," Artemis said, now suspicious of what I was planning. I looked around nervously and saw an extremely dark shadow block the light form the outside, then rest in the left side of the tent.

"Well, you know, Artemis, I kind of do want to leave the hunters," I said, wary of the response.

"Why!? You are my best hunter, you have been my faithful lieutenant since Zoë died 5 years ago! 5 years you have stood faithfully by my side...why do you want to leave now of all times!?" Artemis replied, furious at me for daring to leave after 5 years of service.

"I...I just want to live a normal life," I replied.

"And give up immortality?"

"Y-yes, Lady Artemis."

"Again...why would you want to leave my service?" Artemis asked, devastated.

"I...wasn't going to tell you this, but...I only joined because I didn't want the first Great Prophecy to be about me. I...I didn't want that kind of weight on my shoulders, knowing that I would either save or destroy Olympus.

"Luke wanted me to kill the Ophiotaurus and destroy Olympus, back when we were on a quest to save you and Annabeth. I...I almost gave in. When I was 12, running around the country with Luke, I idolized him. I did everything he asked of me. Those feelings hadn't exactly gone away. I almost gave in because Luke asked me to. But...I realized that Luke had changed. I realized that he had the wrong idea about Olympus. That's why I fought him on Mount Orythys, because he chose to endanger the lives of millions just because his father couldn't be there for him all of the time. Especially during his mothers fits." I spilled out what had been building up for almost a year. Since the Gaea had been put back to sleep.

"So...you joined my hunters for a selfish purpose such as that?" Artemis asked. We were both on the verge of tears.

"It wasn't selfish! I didn't know if I had the strength to resist the Titans' promises! I didn't know if I could make the right choice on my 16th birthday!" I yelled, now crying. I was glad the hunters' tents are soundproof.

"That is still..." Artemis sighed, "You are right. I am sorry for acting the way I have. I will think about this matter more. I will have to make sure to make the right decision. Whether it is in your favor or not."

I smiled and dried my tears, "Thank you, Lady Artemis. I will have to take time to think about what we discussed as well."

Artemis smiled back, "Go then. We will discuss this more when I have made a decision."

I got up and walked back to my tent.

_**3 Hours Pass**_

I was laying in my sleeping bag that night when one of the new recruits, Sarah(daughter of Hebe) pulled back the flaps of my tent, "Lady Artemis wishes to speak with you," She giggled, "Are you in trouble, Thalia?"

I looked at her playfully, "I may very well be. You have delivered your message, now return to your post."

She smiled, "Yes, Lady Thalia."

I almost burst out with laughter, "What's this with calling me 'Lady', now?"

Her smile disappeared, "Uh...n-nothing, Thalia."

I laughed, "I'm not that scary, am I? I don't mind you calling me 'Lady', I was just joking" Sarah smiled and nodded, then disappeared back toward her tent. I got up and walked toward Artemis's tent.

"You wished to see me, Lady Artemis?" I asked as I entered her tent.

"Yes, Thalia. I have decided to let you go on a quest," replied Artemis. She had changed into a black nightgown, dotted with silver stars. It matched the night sky outside. I felt a tinge of jealousy, but it was quickly overridden by my joy. I lunged forward, socking Artemis, and hugged her.

"Thank you, Lady Artemis!" I said, giddy with excitement, "What do I have to do?"

"That is a very good question. A renegade group of Cyclopes has captured a daughter of Demeter. You may remember her. Her name is Katie Gardener." I was shocked to hear the name of a close friend of mine from Camp Half-Blood.

"What happened? How did she get captured?" I asked, incredulous at the capture.

"That is what I would like to know. Your job is to rescue her. Normally I don't send help at the drop of a hat like this, but I have taken a liking to Katie. Also, I need to be on Demeter's good side. Additionally, Katie was thinking about joining my hunters. She would be a perfect replacement should you succeed," Artemis said. I was shocked about her already thinking about replacing me. I guess she was just extremely confident in my ability to succeed on this quest.

"Where is she being kept?" I asked.

"She is being held captive in Albuquerque, New Mexico. But be warned, Thalia. These Cyclopes also control an Aetheopian Drakon. They will surely use it to keep Katie a captive. For further information, she is being held in a place called, "The Brennan Ranch". I do not know where that is, only that it is in Albuquerque. In case you are wondering, I was told this by Demeter. Since the gods cannot interfere with the lives of demigods, especially those of our own children, she came to me for help, asking that I send a hunter. I thought It would be the perfect opportunity for your quest," Artemis replied.

"Lady Artemis, I accept this quest. When do I leave?" I asked, eager to be on my way.

Artemis smiled and replied, "As soon as you find a suitable partner."

I hugged her again, thanked her, and left her tent.

**Nico's POV:**

After Thalia left Artemis's tent, she retreated back to her tent and lay down on her sleeping bag. The sun started setting about 30 minutes later.

_**2 and a Half Hours Pass**_

The hunter named Sarah walked into the tent and had a quick conversation with Thalia before running back to the East side of the camp. Thalia emerged from her tent and walked towards Artemis's tent. I wondered what was going on so I followed her, still invisible.

Thalia went inside the tent. I followed and listened to the conversation. Something about Katie Gardener (One of our friends from Camp Half-Blood) being kidnapped by some Cyclopes. Artemis mentioned a quest requiring a boy partner and I saw my chance. I just needed to wait until Thalia emerged from the tent.

Artemis also mentioned New Mexico, and a Drakon that might be used against me and Thalia when we tried to rescue Katie. I flinched, thinking about the horrible creatures that Drakons were.

By the way, Drakons are cousins of the more famous species, the Dragon. They are longer and more serpent-like, with long scaly legs and a tail that had the power of a wrecking ball. Drakons don't have wings, but have incredibly powerful jaws, but don't have the wings that their cousins had. Oh, and did I mention that they can shoot acid out of their mouth? Also, I forgot to mention that their eyes paralyze you if you look directly at it. Not the Medua-turns-you-to-stone-paralyzation, the "OH MY GODS THAT HUGE LIZARD IS GOING TO EAT ME" paralyzation.

And in-case you've never read Greek Mythology, Cyclopes are giants that only have one eye. They stand 7 feet tall easily and are stronger than 2 pro wrestlers. They can also perfectly mime any voice or sound. I was suddenly having second thought about this quest.

Suddenly, Thalia emerged from the tent. "I need to find a partner..." she said to herself. I pretended to emerge from Shadow-Travel-World and said, "So you need a partner?"

Thalia whipped around and drew her bow, before recognizing me, "Nico? What are you doing here?"


	3. Chapter 3: A Missing Gardener

** Hey! Sorry about the last cliffhanger...anyway, I apologize for leaving you guys without an ending-authors-notes, but I was in a hurry and had to leave. I wanted to get the update out before I left, so you wouldn't have to wait an extra 3 hours. Anyway, I'm going to stay in Percabeth's POV for this chapter, just to make you wait for more on Thalico's quest. Why? I'm just evil like that. MWAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHHA...wait what? You're laughing too? You see, the thing is...I'm not joking. MWAHAHA.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN EITHER THE PjatO SERIES OR THE HoO SERIES. THEY BELONG TO RICK RIORDAN**

**Graced by a Di Angelo**

**Chapter 3: A Missing Gardener**

**Percy's POV:**

I had the job of Cabin Inspections that day, which meant going around and getting to rant to Chiron about how clean/messy all of the different cabins were. I started with Cabin One (Zeus), of course, it got a 5 out of 5 because Jason was going through a neat freak phase, and his older sister Thalia had joined the hunters 5 years ago.

Cabin 2 (Hera) got a 5 because no one lived there, since Hera was the goddess of marriage, which meant no children. Cabin 3 (My dad's cabin, Poseidon) got a 4 because my Half-Brother, Tyson the neat freak Cyclops (Long Story), was still at the Cyclopes Forges, so he couldn't help me with keeping the cabin clean.

I got to Cabin 4 (Demeter) and stepped inside. What met me was instant 1 out of 5 material. Nothing had been cleaned, campers were running around, acting like they had gone insane.

"What the heck is going on here!?" I asked.

A camper named Mitchell walked up to me and said, "KATIE! CYCLOPES! MISSING! HELP! EVERYONE GONE INSANE!"

I flinched at his outburst and took a second to process everything he said, "Katie is missing?"

'YES! SOMEONE SUMMONED SOME CYCLOPES INTO CAMP AND THEY KIDNAPPED KATIE!" Mitchell screamed, trying to express his obvious anger.

"This is bad...this is really bad," I said, still trying to make sense of the situation.

"Wait...who the...WHO THE HECK SUMMONED CYCLOPES INTO CAMP HALF-BLOOD!" I yelled, just realizing this vital piece of information.

"WE DON'T KNOW! THAT'S THE POINT!" Mitchell screamed back like he was tired of answering this question.

"Okay, I get, quit yelling at me," I replied, "We need to tell Chiron." Mitchell nodded and we left his insane siblings behind and ran to the Big House.

We raced past the other cabins on our way to the north side of camp. Piper had sent Lelah out to

dust the hot pink front porch of the Aphrodite Cabin. Leo was yelling at Nyssa for accidentally crushing something he called his "Meteor Machine". Phoebe was polishing the silver door of the Artemis cabin (Artemis had no children due to being a maiden goddess, but Phoebe was here as an ambassador from her hunters).

I stopped and called out to everyone, "Senior Counselors! Meeting at the big house! Now!"

Everyone could sense my frantic behavior. All of the counselors raced from the cabins toward the Big House. I saw Clarisse La Rue from Ares, Annabeth from Athena, Jason from Zeus, Phoebe from Artemis, Leo Valdez from Hephaestus, Piper McLean from Aphrodite, Connor and Travis Stoll from Hermes, Pollux from Dionysus, Will Solace from Apollo, and the new guys from Hebe, Hypnos, Hecate, Morpheus, and the rest of the new cabins. The only people missing were Katie (Of course), and Nico from Hades.

We all met at the Big House rec room and set around the ping-pong table. I ran to the parlor and brought Chiron and Mr. D(Dionysus runs the camp. Long story) into the room. Seeing that we were having a meeting, Dionysus snapped his fingers. Cheez Whiz and crackers appeared around the table. The only people that even touched it were Travis, Connor and Grover (Lord of the Satyrs).

"Percy, what is the meaning of bringing everyone here?" Chiron asked, annoyed. We didn't call meetings except for extremely important matters.

"Katie. Kidnapped. Cyclopes," I said, trying to explain and catch my breath at the same time. Everyone gasped and asked for the full story. I tapped Mitchell and thankfully he understood what I meant.

What Percy is trying to say is that someone summoned a group of 5 Cyclopes into camp. The came straight to the Demeter like this had been planned before hand. They knocked everyone except Katie out, took her hostage, and then escaped into a boat on the sound," Mitchell seemed extremely calm. Everyone stared at us with huge eyes until Chiron spoke up.

"I was just alerted to this by Artemis. She said she had sent Thalia Grace and Nico Di Angelo, who somehow was in Colorado at the time, to Albuquerque to rescue her."

Annabeth instantly turned a dark shade of red, "THAT LITTLE LIAR! I SHOULD HAVE KNOW THAT'S WHERE HE WAS! HE'S BEEN SPYING ON THE HUNTERS SINCE WE RESCUED HIM AND BIANCA! HE-"

"Annabeth," I cut her off, "That's not important right now. We just need to focus on Katie. Not Nico, no matter how much of a "little liar" he is."

Annabeth gave me a knowing look. I knew she was thinking about our argument earlier.

"You're right Percy, I should've list-"

"Can you too lovebirds save the mushy gushy talk for later? Me Travis and Grover are trying to enjoy some Cheez Whiz and crakers! Anyway, go on talking about this problem you guys have, Chiron," Connor said (He has a habit of saying 'you' instead of 'we' when a problem comes up that he doesn't want to be involved in). Travis punched him for dissing the problem of his 'girlfriend-to-be' being kidnapped. Annabeth changed from dark red to a purplish shade. She seemed ready to explode at Connor at a moment's notice. Luckily Chiron spoke up to stop the screaming before it started.

"We will just have to let Thalia and Nico handle this. She said something about this being extremely important that we not send anyone else to help. Now, everyone, return to your cabins and get ready for inspection."

With that, the meeting adjourned.

**A/N:**

**So...Good, Bad? Horrible? Review! Anyway, Thanks for giving me feedback on the last two chapters. Nothing really much to say about this chapter, except that there wasn't a cliffhanger ending! * Confetti * **


	4. Chapter 4: Before a Quest

** Hey! I'm back with chapter 4! Nothing really of interest to put up here except for one thing. Since Chapter 2 had no Ending-A/N, I didn't have a chance to explain this, but I will now.**

"**The Brennan Ranch" is actually a reference to something. Not going to say what, but whoever figures it out will get a shout-out in the next chapter posted after they answer. **

**Hint: The city that "The Brennan Ranch" is located in, Albuquerque, is important to the answer.**

**DISCLAIMER: The PjatO and HoO Series belong to Rick Riordan. The series that "The Brennan Ranch" is from belongs to it's respective owner (Not Me). I'm not going to reveal who ons it as that would give you the answer. I'll start putting the owner's name in once you guys have figured it out.**

**Graced by a Di Angelo**

**Chapter 4: Before a Quest...**

**Nico's POV:**

"So, you need a partner? For what?" I feigned innocence. I couldn't let Thalia know I was spying on her. That would raise more questions than I would be willing to answer.

"A quest for Artemis," Thalia said matter-of-factually.

"Can I volunteer? Probably not, knowing the hunters' "No Boys" rule," I said, still pretending I was clueless.

Thalia sighed and said, "You could volunteer. Artemis said I _had_ to have a boy for a partner."

"Okay, what's the quest?" I asked. Thalia's expression changed instantly as she realized I was serious. She shifted her weight to her right leg, like she did when she was thinking hard about something. I could tell that I wasn't her first choice for a quest partner. She probably was going to try to scare me out taking the quest.

"I have to go to Albuquerque and rescue Katie Gardener. A bunch of Cyclopes kidnapped her. There's also a Drakon guarding her,"(I hated at the time, how she said I and not we) She said it calmly, like it was no big deal. If she was trying to scare me out of the quest, she would have to do a better job. Even if I was too sacred, I knew what this quest was for. I had to help Thalia succeed. She didn't know it yet, but I had been helping her for 2 weeks. How, you may ask? I had used my power as a child of the underworld to convince an eioldon to enter Thalia's mind. It had brought her to ask Artemis about leaving. Her confessing about what happened in San Francisco was completely unplanned.

I had made the eioldon swear on the River Styx that it would do only what I said and nothing more. I released it back into the Underworld after Thalia had convinced Artemis to let her go. You might say that I was a jerk to do that to her and that she should have had a say in the matter, but I just sped up something that was going to come any day, and I was forced to do it. I didn't do it of my own conscience. I had wanted to do it though...

"Okay! Can I come?" I asked, hoping the answer was yes. If not...

"Sure, you can come," Thalia said coldly. It was clear that she didn't respect me very much. She still probably though of me as a little kid. Truth be told, when we succeeded and Thalia regained mortality, I would be the same age as her.

"Thanks, Thals!" I said, happy with the answer.

"Don't call me Thals!" Thalia snapped. She had never been fond of her unofficial nickname.

"Fine," I laughed, "Anyway, when do we leave?"

Thalia looked at me strangely. I was wondering what it meant when she replied, " In the morning. I have a feeling we both need a good night's sleep." She smiled and I remembered why I was here. A frown crept over my face.

"So...do you...uh...want me to stay in an extra tent or shadow travel back to Camp Half-Blood?" I asked.

Thalia gave me a look that reminded me of a detonating nuclear bomb. She sighed and said, "There's an extra tent on the south side of the camp. Meet me in front of my tent at 7:00 sharp or I leave without you."

I smiled and walked to the tent she had mentioned. It was small, silver, and was bare except for a sleeping bag, a dim lantern, and a book. I picked up the book. It was called "The Adventures of Heracles". On the inside cover was a signature that read "Thought I would get you this and apologize for being a jerk after you helped me steal that apple and gave me Anaklusmos. Singed, Heracles".

'Oh gods,' I thought, 'That means that I'm staying in Zoë's tent!?' I resisted the urge to be sick at the thought of sleeping in a dead woman's tent. I calmed myself down and lay on the sleeping bag. I thought about what had happened 2 weeks ago. My argument with Apollo.

~FLASHBACK~

I was walking back to the Hades cabin after dinner. I stepped over the threshold and was greeted by none other than the Lord of the Sun, Apollo.

"Hey, Nico! Have have you been?" Apollo asked.

"Save the formalities, Apollo," I growled, them realized my misatke, "Oh, wait, sorry Lord Apollo."

Apollo's expression returned to normal, "So, Nico, I have a job for you."

I raised my eyebrow. The Olympians never come to me of all demigods, let alone to ask a job to be done. Apollo was also the least likely candidate.

"So, what is it, Lord Apollo?" I asked. I was genuinely curious for once.

Apollo smiled and said, "I'm kind of in an argument with your father right now..."

"And what? You need me to prank my dad?" I shot back, furious.

"I'm glad you understand! That saves me from having to explain!" Apollo said, ignoring my

dis-respectfulness, "I need you to go tell him that Zeus has sent his daughter, Thalia to steal Hades's Helm of Darkness."

I flinched. Apollo wasn't trying to prank Hades, he was trying to kill Thalia and start a war between the gods. He was pulling an Ares. "So, is that all, Lord Apollo?" I asked.

Apollo nodded and grinned. He threatened, "If you don't do this, or tell Hades anything about me planning this..." Apollo pretended to pull out his bow and shoot me. My eyes widened as I realized that Apollo was blackmailing me. I nodded nervously and asked when I had to do this.

Apollo raised an eyebrow and said, "Now, Nico. I'll transport you to the castle." With that, he snapped his fingers and I appeared in my father's palace.

Hades looked surprised to see me. He smiled coldly and said, "Nico! You have improved you shadow-traveling skills! I didn't even sense you come in!"

I simply nodded. I couldn't tell him about Apollo zapping me here, So I went with his explanation.

"Dad...I just learned about something that you should know. Zeus has sent Thalia Grace to steal your Helm of Darkness."

Hades's robe turned a dark red color. He flared with anger and said to me, "Take an eioldon and infiltrate her mind. Turn her away from this course. _I'll_ deal with Zeus."

I nodded and went to go find an eioldon.

~END OF FLASHBACK~

**So...now you know why Nico has been spying on Thalia! But what about the second, more secret reason that he mentioned? What is going to happen on Olympus when Hades confronts Zeus? Will Travis and Connor ever stop pranking everyone at Camp Half-Blood? Find out next time!**

**Except maybe not those last two questions.**


	5. Chapter 5: Adventure!

**Hey! I'm back with Chapter 5! Sorry for not updating for the past MONTH...I've been really busy with school and all da other stuff. To make up for it, here's an extra long chapter! (2250words!)**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN EITHER THE PJO OR THE HOO SERIES.**

**Graced by a Di Angelo**

**Chapter 5: Adventure**

**Thalia's POV:**

I was waiting for Nico the following morning. It was almost 7:15 and he hadn't gotten out of bed yet. I was considering waking him up when Sarah came up to me.

"Hey Thalia! What are you doing with a pack and a bedroll. Oh gods...you're not...LEAVING, ARE YOU?"

I smiled and responded, "Not yet, but I am going on a quest for Artemis. If I succeed, then I leave the hunters." She looked down at her feet like they might try to run away. "What's wrong?" I asked.

She didn't look up, refusing to meet my eyes. She sighed and said, "It's just...I've only been with the hunters for a month, and you're the only one I feel close to. You're like a big sister to me. If you leave..." She started to cry. I realized that if I left, then Artemis would be left without a lieutenant, and the hunters would be left without their 'big sister'.

"Sarah, I...I..." My voice faltered as I tried to explain myself. No doubt she would say that I was being selfish. I probably was being selfish. I started to regret making my decision, if only a tiny bit. Sarah was still crying, and nothing I could say would comfort her. Luckily, Nico stepped out of the tent. At least now I had an excuse to leave.

"Sarah, I have to leave now, I'll talk to you later, I promise," I said, hoping she wouldn't resent me for leaving.

"Just...just go...I'll talk to you when you get back, I guess..." Her voice was shaky. I could tell that she would be in for a hard time if I left. I turned away and walked over to Nico.

"Ready to go, Thals?" he asked. I tried hard not to punch him in the face for calling me Thals. He knows I hate my 'nickname'. Instead, I laughed and said, "Yeah, I'm ready."

He gave me a confused look, and asked, "What's so funny?"

I grinned, "Nothing," He looked even more confused now that I wouldn't give him a straight answer.

"Let's get going, we're wasting time," Nico said, trying to keep a straight face. Eventually, he broke under the pressure and laughed. "So where to, Thals?"

I had to admit. I was getting used to my nickname, what with Nico saying it every 5 seconds. I smiled, and said, "Dever National Airport. It's the closest place that we can catch a plane to Albuquerque."

Nico looked confused, "What? I thought demigods couldn't take airplanes, because Zeus might knock the plane out of they sky." Thunder boomed in the sky. Nico had just insulted Zeus without knowing it.

I laughed, "And risk killing his daughter? I don't think so. That's just Percy. Zeus doesn't like Poseidon kids very much." More thunder. If we kept this up, my dad would probably appear and give us both a severe talking to about respecting him.

"Come on, Thals, let's go."

**Nico's POV:**

With Thalia laughing this much, she seemed right at home in my company. She was warming up to me! Anyway, we walked through about 10 miles of forest trying to get to Denver.

"You sure you know where we're going?" I asked, ready to be out of the forest. I hated forests.

Thalia sighed and said, "Yes, Nico, we only have about a mile to go. Hold on just a little bit longer."

By then, Thalia must've been extremely annoyed. I had been asking randomly where we were for about 10 minutes.

After about an hour, we made it to the Denver airport. We could only get tickets to Phoenix. Albuquerque was not big enough of an airport and the Santa Fe flight was booked solid. We figured Phoenix would be close enough so we bought the tickets and headed toward Gate 37. 20 minutes later, we were on board the flight. Thalia insisted I take the window seat, and I wondered why.

"Thals, are you scared of heights?" I asked. The color drained from her face faster than I could get the sentence out. I knew I had hit a hard subject for her. I took it as a yes.

"A child of Zeus scared of heights?" I asked, surprised. That earned me a punch to the arm, but I shrugged it off. "That doesn't make much sense. Come on, Thals, if you were scared of hieghts, why'd you insist we take a plane?"

Thalia looked at me like she was going to slap me, but then she sighed and said, "I...I'm trying to get over my fear. I thought this would help. I didn't think that you would figure out my secret fear."

I gave her a knowing look. I had that same problem. I had a fear that no one knew about. Well, actually, I had two. Only Jason knew about the second one. "Does anyone else know?" I asked.

"Just Percy. He found out when we were rescuing Annabeth and Artemis. It was right after...Bianca..." She stopped, realizing what she'd done.

This girl was talking about my sister's death like it was no big deal! I resisted the urge to yell at her for being insensitive. "Thalia," I said, using her full name, "That girl was my _sister._ You talk about her death like it was no big deal. That girl meant everything to me. After she died, I was left alone to roam the world with no one to watch over me, help me, or even talk to me. A part of me was destroyed.

Until...until I found Hazel. Hazel helped me when I was upset over Bianca choosing to be reborn. I...I tried to adjust, I wanted Hazel to _be_ Bianca, but she wasn't. She couldn't be Bianca. The hole in me hasn't gotten any smaller. It just has been left in the dust by everything else. Anytime someone mentions her..." I stopped. Thalia's whole attitude toward me changed. She had no idea what I'd been through. No one did, except for Bianca...and Hazel. Thalia smiled at me and tried to cheer me up but it didn't work. By that point, I was almost in tears.

"Please. Just...just never bring up Bianca again. Even though it was 5 years ago, I still am in shambles. Sometimes, I manage to forget about it, but I always find a way to remember, especially when I'm depressed(A child of Hades gets depression like a normal kid would get a cold)." Thalia looked at me like I'd been hit by a train. I had just told her about the one thing that had been slowly driving me insane for 5 years.

I was about to reveal my real reason for going on this quest when the captain called out over the intercom, "Passengers, fasten your seatbelts, we're hitting some major turbulence. Wait...ARE THOSE HORSES?!" Thalia looked at me and mouthed '_venti'. _I knew what they were, so she didn't have to tell me, but why had she used the roman name?

Thalia got up and I followed. We both walked up to the cockpit. A flight attendant wearing sunglasses and a bandana blocked our path. Her name tag said 'Mellie'.

"You are not allowed to enter the cockpit during flight, especially after the captain issued the seat-belt order." said the flight attendant.

Thalia snapped her fingers, "But ma'am, we have to-"

The flight attendant snapped her fingers and the passengers passed out. She snapped, "Save your tricks, child of lightning. You too, child of the underworld. Now, you are causing trouble on my plane, and I won't have that. Come here sisters! Today we feast on demigod!" Her 'sisters' walked up to us. One's nametag read, 'Muriel', the other one's read 'Sadie'.

"Uh, what's going on?" I asked.

"GORGONS!" Thalia shouted as the three lunged at us. I saw their nametags change from 'Mellie', 'Muriel', and 'Sadie', to 'Medusa', 'Euryale', and 'Stheno'.

**Percy's POV:**

Everyone was gathered in the dining pavilion. We had a big problem on our hands, one that even Connor couldn't work his way out of. Usually everyone was talking to everyone and the couples made goo-goo eyes at each other. But now everyone just silently sat and looked around. Even the Stoll brothers were quiet(Hint: They _never_ sit quietly and not prank someone). Eventually, Chiron stepped into the room. He looked around at everyone, then slowly walked over to the braziers. They had been recently painted silver and black, respectively.

Chiron started talking in a low monotone, "These are the braziers that represent Thalia Grace and Nico Di Angelo. Their airplane went down 9 days ago, and nothing has been heard from them. Artemis herself rode out to the crash site in Arizona and found nothing. Except that is, a name tag that read 'Euryale'. Could these two have survived the crash and carted off by the gorgons? Who knows. But now, today, we burn their shrouds in absentia. Phoebe Marx is the only Hunter of Artemis here today, so she gets the honor of burning Thalia's shroud." Phoebe stepped up to the first brazier, holding a silver shroud with a moon imprint on it in her hand. She was visibly crying she placed the shroud into the silver fire. Sparks lept to and from the shroud as it burned with the help of Zeus. As the last bits of ashes settled down in the brazier, lightning struck the brazier and it disappeared.

The face of Zeus appeared in the lightning, "One last blessing for my daughter, Thalia Grace..." Zeus trailed off. Tears appeared in Zeus's eyes, and the cloud started raining to match. Half pf the people in the crowd either got soaked, or jumped back.

The cloud disappeared and Chiron broke the eerie silence, "Hazel Levesque is the only other known child of the Underworld, so she gets the honor of burning Nico's shroud. Hazel, please step up to the brazier." Hazel nodded and slowly walked to the second brazier, while holding a maroon shroud with a black helmet and two keys on it.

Hazel whispered, barely audible over the flames, "This...this is for you...Nico..."She placed the shroud into the black flames. When the flames died out, Hades and 4 skeletons rose from the ground. Hades snapped his fingers and the skeletons lifted the brazier. Hades snapped again and the skeletons and brazier melted into the ground. Hades looked through the crowd and noticed me. "Percy, without you, Nico would never have discovered what he was, he might never have even made it past 4th grade alive. For that I thank you." Next he pointed to Annabeth. "Annabeth, you played a big part in Nico's life, as well. You helped save him and...Bianca...from the manticore. You and Percy both have shaped Nico into who he was, even if you didn't know it. For that, I thank both of you." Then Hades turned toward th rest of the camp. "All of you, thank you for giving my son a home. Without Camp Half-Blood, Nico wouldn't have survived past middle school. Thank you for providing him companionship when you did as well. We all have affected Nico's life, as Nico has affected our lives. Both in the positive, I assure you. And to that, I could ask nothing more. Now, one last blessing for my son, Nico."

Hades snapped his fingers and thunder boomed. "Well, that would be Zeus calling me. I have to go. Be careful, demigods, so that I won't have to oversee your funeral in the near future." Hades smiled evily at that last part. Hades then snapped his fingers and melted into the earth.

We all helped to move the tables back into place and ate dinner in silence. Chiron tried to break the tension by announcing Capture The Flag for next week. There were a few smiles here and there, and even a "Woo Hoo!" from the Stolls, but they disappeared as quickly as the came.

After dinner, we had sing-along and the campfire. The s'mores were good, but no one, not even the Apollo kids, were singing. And the Apollo kids were supposed to _lead_ the sing-along. After that, we all went back to our cabins. I had just called lights out when my door mysteriously opened. I knew who it was, and thank the gods that I wasn't in my underwear, or worse...nude. Annabeth sat down on my bunk and took off her magic Yankees hat.

Annabeth snuggled up next to me and I put my arms around her. I wasn't surprised that she sneaked into my cabin, this was normal behavior for us. We just held each other for about 30 minutes. Seriously, after defeating Titans, Gaea, and Tartarus, nothing gets in the way of our alone time. _Nothing. _Annabeth pushed my arm off of her and scooted away from me. Then she looked me dead in the eyes and said, "Percy, did you see the look in Hades's eyes? He's obviously hiding something. Percy, what if Nico and Thalia are alive?"

**So I finally got Chapter 5 out! * Confetti! * Not much to say except for that I'm back to updating semi-daily(hopefully)! Also,**

*** What Happened to Nico and Thalia?**

*** Why is Hades keeping secrets(Other than, you know, being Hades)?**

**Find out in Chapter 6!**


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